Swivel knife for manual operation with blade holder offset skewably from handle

ABSTRACT

This disclosure teaches a swivel knife for manual operation with its blade holder offset skewably from its handle. The angle of skew can be varied but it is set during operation. A blade is received by a slotted rod mounted in the holder and the slotted rod may be held fixedly or released for turning.

United States Patent 1191 1111 3,922,784

Prince et al. 1 Dec. 2, 1975 [5 1 SWIVEL KNIFE FOR MANUAL OPERATION 2,569,286 9/1951 Bunker 30/329 WITH BLADE HOLDER OFFSET 2,639,505 5/1953 Reynolds 30/317 2,659,143 11/1953 Baker 30/317 SKEWABLY FROM HANDLE 2,803,877 8/1957 Belanger.... 30/317 [75] Inventors: Michael J. Prince, New York; 3,080,653 3/1963 Dolin 30/317 D ld M d G d Ci 3,831,276 8/1974 Dalton et al. 30/317 South FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [73] A sign Di gr r Film n ri g 321,622 6/1957 Switzerland 30/1649 Corporation, Brooklyn, NY.

[22] Filed: Mar, 3, 1975 Primary ExaminerAl Lawrence Smith Assistanl Examiner-J. T. Zatarga [21] Appl' 554678 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Charles E. Baxley, Esq,

[52] U.S. Cl. 30/317; 30/1649; 33000332219; 57 ABSTRACT [51 1 Int. Cl. B26B 1/04 This disclosure teaches a Swivel knife for manual Oper [58] Field of Search 30/317, 321, 649, 329 ation with its blade holder offset skewably from its handle. The angle of skew can be varied but it is set [56] References Cited during operation. A blade is received by a slotted rod UNITED STATES PATENTS mounted in the holder and the slotted rod may be held fixedly or released for turning. 207,866 9/1878 Hartford 30/317 1,775,813 9/1930 Colby 30/317 3 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures US. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 3,922,784

FIG. l0 4 FIG. 9

SWIVEL KNIFE FOR MANUAL OPERATION WITH BLADE HOLDER OFFSET SKEWABLY FROM HANDLE BACKGROUND OF, INVENTION A This invention relates to a cutting instrument and more particularly to an instrument usable in graphic arts for manually cutting around designs and parts of pictoral illustrations with the object of removing such parts from their surroundings. One field of use is in making separation plates, but of course the instrument has many other uses in graphic arts and elsewhere. The material cut away may be acetate sheets or other plastic sheets or it may be paper or bristol board or the like. The instrument canalso be used to cut one layer of a laminate without cutting a next layer thereof. In any event such parts, designs or the like to be cut out and removedfrom their surroundingmaterial may be either of substantially straight lines (or partly so) or of curved lines of small or large radii of curvature (or partly so).

STATEMENT OF INVENTION A prime object of this'invention is to provide a cutting instrument of the character described which can be adjusted conveniently in the angle of incidence of the blade to the work.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a cutting instrument of the character described which minimizes likelihood of shadows appearing on the work.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a cutting instrument of the character described which is less fatiguing to its user than prior cutting instruments of like kind.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a cutting instrument of the characterdescribed which can be operated by use of one hand of the user while the other hand adjusts the rotation of the blade.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an improved cutting instrument of the character described which is adaptable for either rectilinear cutting (by which is meant substantially straight lines) or for curvilinear cutting (by which is meant curved lines of varied radii of curvature). Rectilinear cutting is done best by a blade which is fixed relative its holder, while curvilinear cutting is facilitated by permitting the blade to rotate freely with respect to its holder. In the cutting instrument of this invention means are provided for permitting the blade to rotate freely relative to its holder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS For attainment of the foregoing and other objects, features and advantages, I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention in an accompanying drawing wherein the same numerical designations are applied to the same parts throughout the figures and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a complete cutting instrument according to my invention.

FIG. 2 is a right side view of the cutting instrument of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a left side view of the cutting instrument of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a broken top view to an enlarged scale showing mounting of a blade holder skewed relative a handle.

FIG. 5 is a broken bottom view to an enlarged scale showing the mounting of the blade holder skewed relative the handle.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the complete cutting instrument as FIG. 1 but to an enlarged scale.

FIG. 7 is a partly broken left side view of the cutting instrument to an enlarged scale with the'blade holder in full lines in its vertical position and in dotted lines ro-,

tated to inclined positions.

FIG. 8 is a broken exploded view showing parts of the blade holder spaced relative each other.

FIG. 9 is a partly broken sectional view through the blade holder.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line 10I0 of FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The cutting instrument includes a handle 11 and a blade holder 12 joined for rotatable movement about a lateral axis 13 (seen best in FIG. 7). The handle has to receive a screw 23 along the lateral axis 13, whereby the handle 18 and the holder 19 projection can be rotated relative each other about the lateral axis 13 to vary the skewable orientation of the holder 12 relative the handle 11. The screw 23 has an enlarged end 24 and it threadably engages a nut 25 which is used to set the holder 12 in a desired skewable orientation relative to the handle 11. By this expedient the holder 12 may be arranged vertically as shown in full lines in FIG. 7 or at some other convenient skewable inclination as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 7. The collar 21 is provided with a threaded hole 26 through which a set screw 27 clamps a barrel 28 of the holder 12.

The barrel 28 is provided as best seen in FIG. 8 with an apertured disc 29 near its blade end (lowermost in FIG. 7) and a similar apertured disc 31 at the other end (uppermost in FIG. 7) both discs 29, 31 being held securely in place.

A long slender rod 32 is disposed axially within the barrel 28 and rotatably held in the apertured discs 29, 3 l. The upper end 33 of the rod 32 is threaded for an adjusting thimble 34, having external serrations 35 to enable it to be turned by the fingers. Near its lower end 36 the rod 32 has a cylindrical enlargement 37, which abuts the lower apertured disc 29. The rod 32 is thus held in place at its lower end 36 by the cylindrical enlargement 37 and by the thimble 34 at its upper end 33.

The lowermost portion of the rod 32, i.e. downward from the cylindrical enlargement 37, is slit as indicated at 38. The portion next to the cylindrical enlargement 39 is threaded while the end is slightly tapered at 41. A small bushing 42 is slipped on this lower end 36 of the rod 32 and is threaded internally at 43 to screw on the aforesaid thread 39 of the lower end 36 of the rod 32. The internal diameter of the bushing 42 is slightly reduced at its tip end as indicated at 44. The bushing 42 and the slitted lower end 36 of the rod 32 function as a collet to secure a small interchangeable blade-45 by gripping its reduced shank 46.

The other surface of the bushing 42 is provided with longitudinal flattened surfaces 47 which serve a dual purpose. The flattened surfaces 47 enable fingers to turn the rather small bushing 42 in making adjustments and in changing the blade. The flattened surfaces 47 of the bushing 42 also cooperate with a small cap 48 which is placed over the bushing 42 to cover and protect the blade 45 when not in use. The cap 48 is provided internally with a surface 49 which engages the flattened surfaces 47 of the bushing 42.

The thimble 34 serves to retain the inner rod 32 in place within the hollow barrel 28 and also functions to permit the blade 45 to rotate freely with respect to the barrel 28.

The blade 45 is removed or inserted by manipulation of the bushing 42. During this manipulation it is undesirable that the inner rod 32 be free to rotate. For this reason a small hole 51 is provided diametrically through the cylindrical enlargement 37 of the lower end 36 of inner rod 32. The barrel 28 also has diametrically opposed apertures 52. With the hole 51 and the holder apertures 52 being alignable. A pin 53 may be passed therethrough as best seen in FIGS. 9 and to hold the inner rod 32 against rotation. The pin 53 also is inserted when it is desired to use the cutting instrument with the blade 45 in a fixed position.

With the pin 53 in place the bushing 42 may then be loosened so that the blade 45 can be removed, or the bushing 42 may be tightened to secure the shank 46 of the blade 45 in the collet slit 38. These, particularly the blade 45 and the exposed tip 44 of the bushing 42, are small parts difficult to grasp with the fingers, but the cap 48 may be used for this purpose. When it is desired to loosen or tighten the bushing 42, the cap 48 is fitted in place. The internal surface 49 of the cap 48 engages the flattened surfaces 47 of the bushing 42 so that turning of the cap 48 will turn the bushing 42 relative the inner rod 32 which is fixed by means of the pin 53 to the barrel 28.

It will be apparent to those skilled in manufacture and use of cutting instruments for manual operation that wide deviations may be made from the preferred embodiment here shown and described, without departing from a main theme of invention set forth in claims which follow.

We claim: a 1. A cutting instrument for manual operation and comprising: 3

an elongated handle having a handle axis and a front end,

a blade holder mounted skewably on the front end of the handle about a lateral axis that is normal to the handle axis,

means for fixing the holder in skewable relationship to the handle,

a blade with a shank for reception in the holder,

the holder being elongated and hollow and having a holder axis,

a rod mounted along the holder axis and rotatable about said holder axis,

an upper end of the rod being threaded and a lower end being slitted and the rod being provided near its lower slitted end with a cylindrical enlargement,

a thimble connected to the upper end of the rod with the thimble serving to retain the rod in the holder,

the lower end of the rod being threaded and tapered,

a bushing connectable screwably to the lower end of the rod,

the lower end of the rod and the bushing serving as a collet to hold the blade,

a cap engageable with the bushing whereby the cap is retained in place and whereby the cap serves for turning the bushing.

2. The cutting instrument of claim 1 with:

the handle provided at its front end with at least one handle projection having a handle hole therein,

the holder provided with at least one holder projection having a holder hole therein,

a screw penetrating the handle hole and the holder hole for said skewable mounting of the holder relative the handle.

3. The cutting instrument of claim 2 with:

the screw having an enlarged first end and a threaded second end.

a nut engageable on the second end to fix the holder relative the handle. 

1. A cutting instrument for manual operation and comprising: an elongated handle having a handle axis and a front end, a blade holder mounted skewably on the front end of the handle about a lateral axis that is normal to the handle axis, means for fixing the holder in skewable relationship to the handle, a blade with a shank for reception in the holder, the holder being elongated and hollow and having a holder axis, a rod mounted along the holder axis and rotatable about said holder axis, an upper end of the rod being threaded and a lower end being slitted and the rod being provided near its lower slitted end with a cylindrical enlargement, a thimble connected to the upper end of the rod with the thimble serving to retain the rod in the holder, the lower end of the rod being threaded and tapered, a bushing connectable screwably to the lower end of the rod, the lower end of the rod and the bushing serving as a collet to hold the blade, a cap engageable with the bushing whereby the cap is retained in place and whereby the cap serves for turning the bushing.
 2. The cutting instrument of claim 1 with: the handle provided at its front end with at least one handle projection having a handle hole therein, the holder provided with at least one holder projection having a holder hole therein, a screw penetrating the handle hole and the holder hole for said skewable mounting of the holder relative the handle.
 3. The cutting instrument of claim 2 with: the screw having an enlarged first end and a threaded second end, a nut engageable on the second end to fix the holder relative the handle. 